Brake cooling means



J. R CAUTLEY BRAKE COOLING MEANS May 19, 1936.

Fild July 1, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 my I INVENTOR.

JOHN RggAuTLEY BY ATTORNEY y 9, 1936. J. R. CAUTLEY 2,041,457

H BRAKE COOLINGIMEA NS Filed July 1, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINVENTOR.

JOHN R. CAUTLEY ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1936 2,041,457 BRAKE COOLING MEANS John R. Cautley, South Bend, Ind. assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, outh Bend,

Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application July 1, 1932, Serial No. 620,516

12 Claims. (Cl. 188-264) This invention relates to wheels and more partire, such temperatures being retained at a relticularly towheels having brake drums provided atively low degree which would not affect the with cooling means preferably by evaporative tire beads or tubes, a serious objection which is cooling. now inherent in the present day wheel struc- Broadly, the invention comprehends a wheel tures, the heat generally causing degeneration including a brake drum having means associated of the tube and tire. I therewith for the dissipation of heat generated This invention is in no way to be considered by braking effort. comparable with a water cooled brake drum, such In the preferred embodiment of the invention structures being relatively old in the art. The the drum has'a cooling chamber thereon provid presentinvention'comprehends broadly the evap- 10 ed with a bl0w-ofi valve, and in another embodi orative feature which makes it highly desirable 'ment of the invention the cooling chamber is because of the low weight required.

connected to a condenser. An objectof the invention is to provide a It is well established that, metal will absorb, brake drum having a cooling means including an approximately ten per cent. as much heat by volevaporative means. l5 tune as will water, however, water will only ab- "Another object of the invention is to J provide sorb one B. t. u. per pound per degree rise in a brake drum having a cooling means including temperature. On the other hand the latent heat a chamber associated with the drum, and means of evaporation of water is 778 B. t. u. per pound f r p mit in h v p r to escape from the per degree; therefore, if one pound of water be chamber. 20

evaporated at higher temperature than atmos- A feature of the invention is a brake drum inpheric pressure, it will absorb somewhere in the eluding a r kin flange an n l r c mneighborhood of 800 B. t. u. per pound, due to her surroundi h flange, nd a f y v lv this evaporation. communicating with the chamber.

In airplane wheel this means of dissipating Other objects and features of the invention will 25 heat may be utilized in a very valuable way with- I pp ar from t following descriptifln taken in out resorting to any process of condensation. It connect n Wi h the drawings which form a pa is well known that the energy which must be abf hi sp fi t n, and in whi h:

sorbed and dissipated in stopping a four thousand Figure 1 is a ver ica s ct o al View of a Wheel pound airplane having alanding speed of approxembodying the inventio and ,t 30 imately sixty miles an hour is in the neighbor- Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a wheel hood of 400 B. t. u., this being approximately i t a a fication. sixty per cent of the total energy; the remaining R rin to the raw ngs r m r p fi forty per cent being absorb d r di i at by details of the invention, l0 represents an axle air resistance, etc, having a spindle l2. The spindle has a shoulder 35 I Since there are twowheels on the normal airl4 n thre d n h nd of the p n le i a plane, it will be necessary to absorb or dissipate suitable retaining nut l6 secured against disthrough each wheel approximately 200 B. t. u. placement as y a r p The pi d sup- This would mean the evaporation of approxiports a sleeve l 8,and suitable races 20 and 22.

mately one quarter of a pound of water. These e r e 20 engages the Sleeve d race 22 40 same figures would hold true in proportion with engages th ni n 6 and positioned n Various sizes. the races is a wheel embodying the invention.

With a maximum of one pound of water in each The wheel comprises a single casting udi wheel, the plane could be landed with brakes a hub 24 having sp Circumferential flanges fully applied, (though this is not, gener ll 26 and 28, and a frustum 3U concentric to the 45 sorted to) four times before there would be any hub. The smaller end of the frustum is spaced need of refilling the chamber provided the chamfrom the front end of the hub and the base of her is equipped with a conventional blow-01f the frustum is'in a line parallel and adjacent to valve to permit the escape of steam. The quanthe rear end of the hub. The base of the frus- 5 tity of water, or other cooling medium used, in tum terminates in a flange 32 which provides cooling the brake drum would not be an objecin conjunction with a lateral flange 34 a suittionable weight and this would provide a highly able tire rim having a channel 36 and retaindesirable method of dissipating braking energy ing flanges 38 and 40.

x and keeping the brakes cool, and more especially Formedintegral with the frustum is a brake the wheel and the rim thereof supporting the drum 42. This drum is connected to the frus- 55 tum substantially at the base thereof by a web 44 and to the retaining flange 38 by a web 46 having openings therein to facilitate in casting, the openings being closed by the conventional Welch plugs to provide a closed chamber 50 entirely surrounding the braking flange 42. The chamber is provided with a blow-ofl valve 52 which may also be used for the purpose of filling the chamber with a cooling fluid.

The drum 2 has secured therein a liner 54 provided with a circumferential flange 56 suitably secured to the edge of the drum. The liner is supported by a radial load-carrying disk 58 secured to the peripheral flange 26 on the hub. This structure materially strengthens the wheel.

Suitably secured to the circumferential flange 28 on the hub 24 is a radial load-carrying disk 60 having its periphery suitably secured to the retaining flange 40 and threaded in the hub is a cap 62 having a flange 64 abutting the hub.

'In practice the chamber 50 is partially filled with water to cool the braking flange 42 for the dissipation of heat generated by the braking effort. To more efiectively provide for the dissipation of the heat, it is proposed to equip the chamber 50 with a blow-ofi valve 52, so that when the water is vaporized at a higher than atmospheric pressure it will escape and thereby greatly enhance the cooling effect due to this evaporation.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Figure 2. In this modification a condensing chamber 65 is provided on the back of the radial load-carrying disk 60. As shown, the chamber 66 is connected by a tube 68 to the chamber 50 aswciated with the drum. The tube 68 is connected to the chamber 66 at its inner periphery so that steam will escape from the chamber 5% through the tube 68 to the condenser. The chamber 65 is also connected to the chamber 50 by a tube 70. This tube is connected to the periphery of the condenser and is extended into the chamber 50 with its open end adjacent the outer wall of the chamber'ifl, so that when condensation takes place in the chamber 66 the fluid will be returned to the chamber 50 due to the centrifugal force imposed on the fluid upon rotation of the wheel causing the fluid to flow through the pipe 10 into the chamber 50.

In operation the chamber 50 is partially filled with water through the valve 52. is heated by the braking effort to the point where the water is vaporized at a higher than atmos- .pheric pressure, it will escape through the tube 68 to the condenser 66 where it is condensed and ejected by centrifugal force through the tube 10 to the chamber 50.

Although this invention has been described in As the water ber.

1. A wheel comprising a braking flange, a the supporting rim surrounding the flange, a chamher on the back of the braking flange and within the rim adapted to be filled with water and a blow-ofl valve for the chamber located in the side thereof.

2. A wheel comprising a braking flange, a tire supporting rim, a chamber between the braking flange and rim, and a blow-ofl valve communieating with one side of the chamber.

3. A wheel comprising a tire supporting rim, a braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, and'a blow-off valve for the chamber.

4. A wheel comprising a hub, radial load-carrying disks connecting the hub, a tire carrying rim supported by the disks, a braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, and a blow-ofi valve for the chamber.

5. A wheel comprising a hub, a tire carrying rib, radial load-carrying disks secured to the hub and rim, a braking flange housed by the rim, a sealed chamber between the rim and the braking flange, and a valve communicating with the chamber.

6. A wheel comprising a braking flange, a chamber on the back of the flange, a condenser,

and conduits connecting the chamber to the condenser.

7. A wheel comprising a braking flange, a chamber surmounting the braking flange, a condenser, and means connectingthe'condenser to the chamber.

8. A wheel comprising a rim, a braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, and a condenser connected to the cham- 9. A wheel comprising a hub, radial load-carrying disks on the hub, a rim supported by the disks, 2. braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, and a condenser connected to the chamber.- v

10. A wheel comprising a hub, a rim, radial load-carrying disks secured to the hub and rim, a braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, a condenser associated with one of the radial load-carrying disks, and tubular sections connecting the condenser to the chamber.

11. A wheel comprising a hub, radial loadcarrying disks on the hub, a rim supported by the radial load-carrying disks, a braking flange, a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, a condenser associated with one of the radial load-carrying disks, and tubular members connecting the condenser with the chamber.

12. A wheel comprising a hub. radial loadcarrying members secured to the hub, a rim supported by the radial load-carrying members, a

braking flange supported in one end of the hub,

a chamber between the braking flange and the rim, a condenser-associated with the radial loadcarrying disk in the other end of the hub, and tubular sections connecting the condenser with the chamber.

v JOHN R. CAU'I'LEY. 

